Refuge
by CharlieGrace
Summary: After being in an abusive relationship, Celia comes to Seattle Grace to reunite with the only family she has. With the doctors of SGMW be able to save her? P.S. No plane crash, everyone is happy.
1. The Last Time

Disclaimer: I do not own anything!

A/N: I will continue to write THWL but after the finale tonight, I need a break. I have an original character and this chapter will be in her POV. No plane crash.

Chapter 1: The Last Time

The reflection in the mirror cannot be me. I am not this person; a person whose eye is swollen shut or has a busted lip. My vision continues downward where I am met with the purple bruises on my ribs. I know they're broken. I mean I am a doctor for goodness' sakes. I see injuries like this all of the time. Blood has dried on my chin. On my left cheekbone, a gash marks my skin with a reminder of what a ring can do.

Cleaning the blood off of my face brought tears to my eyes, and once they came they stayed. They poured out of my eyes until I was sure I was almost dehydrated. And then almost as if a voice clicked inside my head, I knew I had to run. This was the last time this would happen to me.

I rush around my apartment putting my few belongings into a suitcase. After I have my things, I walk into my one year old daughter Elena's nursery. I put some clothes, her baby book and her favorite bear and blankie into a bag and pick her up out of her crib. Her expressive brown eyes open for a moment and then close as she drifts back to sleep as I settle her in my arms.

"It's okay, niña; we're going on a little trip okay. Momma's right here. I love you baby girl. It's all going to be okay." As I whisper to my sweet angel, I have to wonder how things got to this point. Just two years ago, thigns were so very different

I jump into my car and after strapping Elena into her car seat I drive straight to the bus station. A nice looking woman is behind the ticket counter. When she gives me a sympathetic look, I realize I forgot to cover up the bruises that are all over my face. I see her line of vision go down to my arms that are riddled with handprints. When she meets my eyes again, both of our eyes are filled with tears.

Once I finally find my voice again, I ask for a ticket to Seattle, Washington. She tells me that there is a bus leaving in twenty minutes for Seattle. As I try to hand over the money for my ticket, she pushes my hand away.

"Honey, I know what someone who is runnin' looks like. Don't you worry about the money, I'll pay." She hands me a sweatshirt.

"Put this on, people won't stare as much. And here put this on your face, I think it will match your color." She says as she hands me a compact and make up. Tears burn behind my eyes because this is the nicest anyone has been to me in almost two years.

"Thank you ma'am, you have no idea how much this means to me." I say, taking the make-up from her.

"No thanks needed. Now listen here girl, you take that baby and you run. If he comes after you, kill him. Don't let him get near that precious baby you're holding." She caresses Elena's face and I can't help but reach over the counter and hug her. With once final thank you, I walk towards the bus.

After a very uneventful trip, I finally arrive in Seattle. Now that Elena is awake, she keep babbling and looking around taking in her surroundings. We walk into Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital and an astounding feeling of nostalgia over takes me.

"Okay, baby girl, we're safe now. Don't you worry; momma's never going to let anything bad happen to you again." I tell my precious baby girl as we ride on the elevator to the surgical floor. I barely have time to exit the elevator before I hear someone calling my name behind me.

"CeCe?" It's Alex, an person who I never thought would see me like this. At the sight of him, I burst into tears.

"What's wrong sweetie?" He asks while rubbing my back. He catches a glimpse of Elena and smiles at her. She eyes him curiously but still returns his smile with a small grin of her own.

"Alex, where is everyone?" By now Elena has caught on to my mood and has snuggled into my neck. I rub her back and try to make her feel better. She shouldn't have to suffer. Nothing about this situation is her fault.

"They're probably at lunch, come on I'll go with you. So who is this cutie?" He asks me, tickling Elena in the process earning a giggle from my sweet baby. Her giggles are worth everything I've had to go through.

"Alex Karev, meet Elena Grace. She's my daughter. Elena say hi to Alex." Alex looks a little shocked at the word daughter, even though he should've realized. She's my mini-me, in every sense really. When we reach the cafeteria, I glance around until I find the table that holds the closest thing I have to family. Alex leads the way and I hide behind him. I really don't want them to see me like this.

"Hey, Torres, look who I found upstairs."

I take a deep breath and come out from behind Alex. When everyone sees me, they gasp. I'm sure the bruises on my face are pretty visible by now.

"Hey Auntie Callie." I say while trying to smile. Elena is on my hip and she gives a small wave. Everyone glances at her and then back at me.

"Ay Dios Mio, Celia, niña , what happened to you?" She puts her arms around me, and for the first time in almost two years, I feel safe.


	2. Background Info

Disclaimer: I do not own any thing that seems familiar. I only take claim to my original characters.

Chapter Two: Background Info

Elena starts to wiggle and whimper a little because she is squished between Callie and me. Callie pulls back and wipes the tears from under my eyes with her thumbs. She holds me at arm's length as if trying to memorize my face. Elena, who has begun to get tired of not getting any attention starts babbling to me. Callie looks over at her and smiles.

"Auntie Callie, meet Elena, my daughter."

"She looks just like you CeCe." Elena must sense that Callie is special because she reaches for her and when Callie grabs her, Elena places her chubby little hand on Callie's cheek.

"CeCe, what happened to you?" Callie asks me in a serious tone.

"I'm fine, really."

"Then why are you randomly in Seattle. I know you, you plan everything. You wouldn't just show up. I now something is wrong, even if I didn't see those bruises covering your body." She has tears in her eyes. I have to look away to collect myself.

"Auntie, please, I'll tell you but not here okay? I just really need a place to stay. I don't have anywhere else to go."

"Okay, we're going to figure something out. You and Elena can stay with us for now. When was the last time you ate?" She is rubbing Elena's back and I know by the way her eyes are starting to droop, that she will soon be asleep. All of this excitement must be wearing her out.

"I don't really remember honestly."

"Come on, we're going to go back to my apartment and get you some food and then get you cleaned up."

After saying our goodbyes to her colleagues , we walk the short distance to Callie's apartment. Once inside, I see a very beautiful blonde woman on the couch holding a baby that looks exactly like Callie. When she sees me, a confused yet concerned look crosses her face. Callie leans down to kiss her cheek as well as the baby's. After receiving a little giggle from the baby, Callie begins to speak.

"Arizona, this is my niece CeCe and her gorgeous daughter Elena. Is it alright with you if they stay here for a little while?" Arizona looks over at me and gives me a bright, dimpled smile.

"Of course, they are family and I'm sure Sofia will love to have a new playmate. How old is she?" She asks while moving the hair of my sweet baby's face.

"She just turned a year old last month." I say with pride. Elena is my miracle baby. She has gone through so much at such a young age. Thinking of what could've a happened to my little girl bring the tears back to my eyes.

"CeCe, niña, what's wrong? Please, talk to me." I've never heard my aunt beg before.

"Okay, but can I lay Elena down somewhere, it's a pretty long story."

"Of course, I'll go lay her in Sofia's crib." Arizona says and she takes her from my arms and disappears down a hallway. While she's gone I look around the apartment, and find pictures of Callie, Arizona, Sofia and who I assume to be their friends all over the space. Sofia is playing with blocks on a blanket in the floor. She looks up at me and gives me a gummy smile. I don't hear Callie come up behind me and I jump at the sound of her voice.

"CeCe, Are you okay?"

"Yeah, you just startled me."

"Okay, well I ordered a pizza. Do you want to talk while we wait?" I nod and we go and sit on the couch. Arizona joins us. I take a few calming breaths and begin to talk.

"Auntie Callie, I'm so sorry we haven't talked in so long. I mean, I didn't even know you were gay! And you have a wife and a baby. And I have a baby. Everything is so different."

"Me too, niña, me too." I know that Callie and Arizona deserve to know the truth. They are taking us in, so they need to know why I'm here.

"While I was in med school, I met this great girl. She was beautiful, smart, driven. She was everything I thought I wanted. The only problem was the fact that she was an attending surgeon at the hospital where I was doing my clinic work. So we started fooling around, and keeping it a secret. It was really hard on both of us, but we did it for a year and a half. When I graduated, I proposed. She said yes and we moved in together. I started my intern year and everything was fine." Tears are steadily streaming down my face. I take a few breaths before I continue.

"Two months into my intern year, I was walking home from a double shift. I was too tired to drive, so I thought I would wake up enough to make it home. We only lived a few blocks away. But I never made it. I wasn't even a block from the hospital when someone grabbed me from behind and pushed me on the ground. He hit me over and over. I tried to fight him off but he r-raped me." A sob escapes from Callie's mouth and even Arizona is crying. I calm my breathing once again and continue.

"I realized I was pregnant seven weeks later. I didn't tell anyone at first. I was planning on giving the baby up for adoption. I didn't think I could handle knowing what happened to get me pregnant. Six months into my pregnancy, I had only told my doctor and the Chief of Surgery at the hospital I was working at. I wore baggy clothes everywhere, and no one really noticed anything. My fiancée and I weren't on the best terms because I still couldn't have sex with her so I moved into our guest room. I had scrubbed in on an appendectomy when I started having pain in my back. I didn't realize that I was having a placental abruption until I passed out. They did an emergency C-section and delivered Elena. She weighed 2 pounds and 10 ounces. When I saw her for the first time, I fell madly in love with her. It didn't matter how she got here, she was and still is my miracle baby. She stayed in the NICU for almost two months.

"After we got home, I realized how distant my fiancée had become. She was rarely ever home. And when she did come home, she ignored me and Elena. She always said she never wanted kids. One night about six months ago, she came home drunk and started yelling about how I cheated on her and that Elena was a bastard. I tried to talk to her about what really happened but all of a sudden she slapped me. The next day she apologized and promised that it would never happen again, but it did. Yesterday, I came home and I found her with another girl's head between her legs. We started fighting and she started hitting me and I didn't think she was going to stop. After she left, I packed up our stuff and took the first bus here I could."

When I finished talking, Callie comes over and holds me while I cry. After what seems like years, the tears finally stop. Arizona kneels in front of me and takes my hand.

"Don't you worry. You and Elena are safe here. We're not going to let anything happen to you."


End file.
